EHRs play role in medication reconciliation, but challenges remain
EHRs can help hospitals standardize medication reconciliation, but data quality, and technical and workflow issues continue to present challenges, according to a study by the National Institute for Health Care Reform.
For the study, researchers at the former Center for Studying Health System Change examined how 19 U.S. hospitals utilized EHR for medication reconciliation. More than one-third used a hybrid paper-electronic reconciliation process, often because the hospitals found early versions of the EHR vendor tools to be inadequate to get the job done.
However, hospitals that had implemented more advanced EHR-based medication reconciliation functionality integrated medication reconciliation with electronic admission and discharge ordering to improve legibility, reduce data re-entry and support more patient-friendly discharge instructions, according to the study.
But a number of challenges remain before EHR-based medication reconciliation can offer safety and efficiency benefits. These include:
- Access to reliable medication histories
- Refining EHR usability
- Engaging physicians more fully and routinely sharing patient information with the next providers of care
- Enhancing ways for stakeholders to share the best EHR designs and implementation strategies
“[T]he transition to EHR-based medication reconciliation is still a work in process, with hospital implementation and use of EHR modules evolving along with EHR vendors’ product development,” wrote the authors. “The inclusion of medication reconciliation as a Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirement is likely to push more EHR vendors to incorporate medication reconciliation tools into their products and more hospitals to use them.”
Read the full study here.